Tag: religious liberty

Catholic churches in Minnesota reopened for the public celebration of Mass May 27, but not before the state’s bishops took a bold stance to assert that churches were as important as bars, restaurants and hair salons.

The chairmen of three U.S. bishops’ committees have urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to redefine “sex” in civil rights law, arguing this would change the definition of “a fundamental element of humanity that is the basis of the family and would threaten religious liberty.”

Arizona’s Catholic bishops praised the state Supreme Court’s Sept. 16 decision upholding the refusal by two Christian artists to create custom wedding invitations for same-sex couples based on their religious belief in marriage as being between one man and one woman.

The chairmen of three U.S. bishops’ committees Aug. 21 welcomed a proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Labor aimed at clarifying religious protections that may be invoked by federal contractors, including faith-based organizations.

In a last-minute twist, a California bill that would have required priests to break the sacramental seal of confession was shelved by its sponsor amid a remarkable grassroots campaign mounted by the state’s Catholics, members of other faith groups, and religious liberty advocates from across the country.

Full recognition of religious freedom must include recognition of the right of believers to conscientiously object to participating in activities that violate their religious beliefs and religiously inspired moral values, said the International Theological Commission.

More than 140 religious leaders, including the chairmen of three U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees, called on President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and congressional leaders to uphold principles of religious freedom following a series of attacks on people of faith, clergy and houses of worship.

Religious freedom is widely misunderstood, prone to being used only for political purposes and is identified by the public mostly with the Republican politicians. And its enshrinement in law requires constant vigilance on all sides.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, gave three reasons why religious freedom is important to the Catholic Church in a speech July 30 at a conference on the issue at the Justice Department in Washington.